


Catch 22

by orphan_account



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Angst, M/M, bit of a cliffhanger, but this is abandoned and will never be finished, cars guns and super computers, hurt comfort, sorry - Freeform, would have put a lot more tags
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-20
Updated: 2016-03-20
Packaged: 2018-05-28 00:58:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,756
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6307597
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After being rescued from an attempted kidnapping, Harry Styles finds himself in the middle of an international crime investigation involving three of MI5’s top agents and a soft-spoken hostage. But when they are forces to make choices that turn their lives upside down, the five of them must overcome their differences and work together in order to survive and solve the case.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Catch 22

**Author's Note:**

> THIS STORY IS NOT FINISHED AND NEVER WILL BE. I wrote this forever ago but I still like it and didn't want it to go to waste. It was going to be a Larry Ziam endgame and even though I had the whole story outline, I never finished writing it. Hope you enjoy, I've moved on to other fandoms but this was my first fic and I still love it.   
> Peace out

   Harry pulled his jacket tighter around him and walked faster down the pier in the direction of home. Normally he avoided the fishy-smelling port and its cold winds, but it was dark, and this was the shortest way home from his father’s computer design business.

    “Stupid computers," Harry muttered, angrily kicking a pebble out into the black water. His father was set on teaching him everything about his computer designs so he would be ready to take over the business when he was old enough. The problem was, Harry was now 20 and didn’t want the business. He wanted to race cars; he was even taking auto engineering classes and rebuilding an engine in the garage, but no. His dad _had_ to have him spending every spare minute at the business learning software designs, satellite Wifi and other electronic junk he couldn‘t be bothered with. He tried complaining once, but all he got was an angry dad and a lecture about financial stability, so Harry really couldn’t be more miserable.

    Sighing, he tried to distract himself by reading the names of the ships along the pier. He had just reached an oil tanker from Dubai when a sound behind him made him stop. He turned and scanned the shadows for movement, but finding nothing unusual, took a deep breath and began walking faster.

   Suddenly, he felt himself being grabbed by the back of his jacket and yanked completely off his feet, a large hand clamping over his mouth before he had time to react. Terror shot through him, and he began struggling and kicking as he was quickly dragged into an alley way between the warehouses. Harry was never a good fighter, but as he felt another pair of hands grab his arms and pin him to the brick wall, he know he wouldn’t have had a chance anyway.

    The attackers were now facing him. There were three, two restraining him and one approaching with a length of rope. Harry began struggling again, wrenching free from the hand over his mouth and attempting to yell, but was met with a hard fist connecting with his check.

    “Shut up, boy.” The man growled, followed by a swift punch to Harry’s stomach that knocked the air from his lungs. He felt a rag being tied around his mouth, and spots swam in his vision, making him dizzy. Each breath was getting him less and less oxygen, the pain in his stomach keeping him from forcing enough air through the rag.

    There was an arm grasping the front of his shirt, holding him upright, and Harry found himself absently staring at the black scorpion tattoo on the man’s huge bicep, rippling with every movement. Suddenly, the scorpion disappeared, and it took Harry a minute to realize that the arm clutching his shirt was gone. By that time he had already sunk to the concrete, and out of the corner of his eye, he saw a street bike and its rider fly off an old loading ramp and slam into the two closest attackers full force. The bike screeched to a stop in front of Harry, as the rider leapt over the handlebars to tackle the man holding the rope.

      The still-helmeted biker moved like lighting, and soon all three burly men were out cold, sprawled on the ground in Harry’s line of vision. Seconds later he felt gentle hands lift his head to pull the rag off his face, and vaguely heard a voice asking if he was alright. Harry tried to think of a response, but his brain was fuzzy, and his body felt too heavy to move.

   He heard the voice speaking softly as he was lifted off the ground and laid carefully, face down, on the still-running bike. Its warmth felt relaxing, and the steady rumbling against his cheek was bringing the world back into focus.

   The bike began to move, and he could feel the person behind him moving slightly as they turned corners. Harry briefly wondered where they were taking him, but, (a) he had just been rescued, (b) the mysterious benefactor seemed nice, and (c) the cool night breeze was ruffling his hair, so Harry didn’t complain.

  By the time the bike pulled to a stop. Harry was feeling much better. His cheek and stomach were still sore, but he could breath and move almost normally. He sat up as the engine cut off, and turned just in time to see the driver tug off their helmet, revealing a boy about his own age staring at him with concerned eyes.

“Are you alright?” the boy asked, grasping Harry’s arm as he stepped off the bike.

“Yeah, feeling a lot better…uh, thanks,” he looked around and saw they were in front of an unfamiliar apartment complex, “for, you know…saving me.”

   The other boy smiled sadly and began brushing his fingers through his short, brown hair. “I would’ve taken you home, but we should probably tell the police?” He said, “And those kidnapers might know where you live.”

    Harry was going to ask him how he knew such things, and where in the world he learned how to ride a bike like that, but just nodded slowly and said “Yeah, ok.”

   “I’m Liam.” the biker said, switching his helmet to the other arm and shaking his hand.

“Harry,” he replied with a dimpled smile, “Nice to meet you.”

   Liam chuckled softly and fished a cell phone out of his pocket. “So you were just randomly walking and those guys jumped you? Any idea why?”

   “Not the slightest,” Harry shrugged, “I always walk home that way. Nothing’s ever happened before and I haven’t gotten in trouble lately or anything.”

“Did you recognize anyone?”

 “No, I’ve never seen them before, but it was dark, so I couldn’t really see much anyway. I mean, I could see the guys scorpion tattoo but that’s ‘cause it was in front of my face…” Harry was rambling.

  Liam jerked his head up suddenly. “Did you say scorpion tattoo?”

 “Yeah, it was pretty big, here on the guys arm,” Harry showed him. Liam’s eyes widened and he put his phone away.

 “Change of plans, you need to come with me.” He stated, climbing back on the bike.

“What, why?” Harry asked, following him, “You know them?”

 “Not personally, but I know who they are. If my guess is right you’re in serious trouble,” he paused as they pulled out into the street, “but we should be able to help.”

“We who?”

  The boy didn’t answer until they had pulled into the garage of a tall office building a few streets away. Parking the bike, he led a puzzled Harry to a large metal door and pressed a few buttons beside it. As it slid open, the two of them stepped through into a small, bare room with a set of glass doors facing them. The door behind them quickly shut and fans began blowing, making the room noticeably cooler before the second set of doors opened.

   “It’s an airlock,” Liam explained. “It can detect any dangerous chemicals that might be outside or an a person coming in, and maintains oxygen and temperature levels inside the building.”

     “But what is this place?” Harry asked, following him through the doors into a massive lobby.

  “Basically, we’re the ones that ‘protect the United Kingdom against threats to national security’ and all that good stuff.” he replied.

   “The Security Service?” Harry read the lettering on the wall.

 “That’s right,“ Liam said, grinning, “Welcome to MI5!”

 

 …

 

  “MI5?…MI5! You work for MI5?” Harry was trying to keep up with Liam while looking around at everything.

  “Well, sort of. Technically I’m ‘on loan’ to them,” he made air quotes with his fingers, “Just until they figure out the Scorps case, then I go back to Uni. This case has become an international problem so there’s people from a quite a few different countries working on it.”

   “Who are the Scorps? Harry asked.

     “They’re basically a syndicate that are smuggling all sorts of illegal things and messing up governments all over the world, We know who the leaders are, but can’t find out where they operate from or who’s supplying them.” Liam replied.

   “So why are you telling me this?”

 Liam lead them left into a corridor before replying, “It’s a very meticulous process to become a member, and one of their criteria is that everyone who joins has to get a scorpion tattoo somewhere on their body.”

  “A scorpion?”

 He nodded, “Hence the name. That‘s also where you come in”

 “So they’re the ones that tried to kidnap me.” Harry wondered, panic beginning to creep into his stomach, “but, why?

  “That’s what we’d like to know!” Liam mumbled angrily, but when he saw Harry’s expression, he softened. “We’ll find out why.” He promised, “For now, you’ll have to stay here. There must be some kind of connection to you we don’t know about, and the Scorps are known for playing dirty. We’ll have to let your parents know where you are,” he added, “can you contact them?”

  Harry pulled out his phone, then remembered. “My dad’s leaving for a business trip tonight. He won’t even know I’m gone. But where will I stay?”

  “Hopefully here with the agents,” He gestured to the door on their right, sliding what looked like a hotel room key through the slot and pushing the door wide open, holding it with his foot as they stepped inside.

   Harry was surprised find a large living room in what appeared to be a dorm. There was a pile of shoes by the door, and a reality show was playing from a widescreen TV on the wall. Liam tossed his pack on the kitchen counter and called out, “Hellooo?” When there was no response, he looked at his watch.

“They must all be out,” he grabbed a remote and turned off the TV, “Follow me. The last agents should be getting back soon. We’ll go meet them.”

  On the other side of the living room was yet another corridor, leading to a spacious room that was lined with desks covered in computers, papers, and various pieces of equipment Harry had never seen before. There were several chairs and a very worn sofa against the wall and the cement floor had dirt and grease stains. Liam gestured to the sofa and Harry wordlessly sat down.

   “Sorry for the mess,” Liam stated, “this is our mudroom of sorts, the main garage is on the other side of that airlock,” he pointed to sliding glass doors next to them, “all the agents that live here come and go through there. Once the last two agents get back, we’ll all go up to the control center for the unit meeting and hopefully get this sorted out.”

  Harry felt a bit overwhelmed with all this information, and began to wonder just what he had gotten himself into. There were a million questions racing through his mind, but he settled for pulling his knees to his chin and picking at a loose thread on the couch.

   Liam hovered over a computer, typing furiously. The sound of keystrokes, plus the methodic ticking of a clock on the wall make Harry realize just how tired he was, so he leaned his head back on the couch and closed his eyes.

  Just as he was being lulled to sleep, a sharp beeping startled him awake and made both boys look up. “They’re back!” Liam stated, turning around. Harry watched the panel beside the airlock come to life with little colored lights and beeps. Finally an unlocking sound was heard and with a loud whirring, the doors swished open. 

   A second later, a boy in a jet black suit stepped smartly into the room. His brown hair was sticking in all directions from the sudden rush of air, and large aviator glasses covered most of his face. He looked every bit the “secret agent” stereotype, and Harry felt a bit intimidated.

    “Hi Louis,” Liam offered, “How’d it go?”

‘Louis’ tossed an important-looking briefcase onto the nearest desk and carefully removed his glasses. “The usual,” he smirked, “perfectly executed if I do say so myself! Like taking candy from…”

   “Don’t you dare talk about candy!” A new voice hollered from the airlock, “You’ve been draggin’ me all over London and letting me starve to death!”

   Another boy exited the airlock wearing a large backpack and dragging another bag behind him. Dropping them both, he glared at the suited boy and gratefully snatched a granola bar Liam handed him. Harry had yet to be noticed as Louis and Liam began talking about the mission, so he studied the second boy who had plopped down in a chair happily chewing. He was wearing jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt and had a Lakers snapback smashed onto his blond hair. Suddenly looking up, he caught Harry watching him and tilted his head to the side with a confused expression.

  “Who are you?” He asked, making the other two stop talking and look at him.

  “Oh! Sorry, this is Harry.” Liam interjected. The blond boy gave Harry a small smile, but Louis moved toward him with a guarded expression.

 “Hello Harry,” he said, “may I ask what you’re doing here?” Harry opened his mouth to explain but again Liam beat him to it.

  “I brought him in. He may be able to help with the Scorps case.”     

   Louis nodded slowly, but the second boy, whose name Harry still didn’t know, was carefully studying Harry’s bruised face and hunched posture.

  “Why are you hurt?” he asked.

  “The ‘Scorps’ did that.” Harry answered, the first words he had spoken since entering the room. The boy’s eyebrows shot up and he glanced over at Louis, who had a dark look on his face. After a beat of silence, snapback boy stepped forward and shook Harry’s hand.    

    “I’m Niall,” he said softly, “nice to meet you. Oh, and this is my partner Louis.” He gestured to the other boy who sat down on the couch and also shook Harry‘s hand.

   “So what exactly happened?” Louis questioned.

  “I was walking home and a few guys jumped me.“ Harry began, “didn’t know who they were then, but now,” he gestured to Liam, “come to find out they’re an international crime ring and I have no idea what they want with me.”

  Niall frowned, “How’d you get away?”

 “I found him just in time.” Liam said.

“He ran over them with his bike.” Harry clarified.

Louis barked out a laugh. “Nice going, Li‘! Paul will get a kick out of that one!”

 “Speaking of Paul, he’ll kick our butts if we’re late for the unit meeting again.”

  “Hey that wasn’t my fault!” Louis retorted, “we were waiting for Perrie!”

  Niall snickered, “She was probably with Malik. I swear there’s something going on with those two.”

“Hush Niall, you wanna get her fired? Let’s go.” Liam grabbed the previously discarded briefcase and dashed out the door, followed by Louis. Niall lingered back as a very tired Harry dragged himself to his feet.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” He asked.

“I think so, thanks,“ Harry smiled gratefully. “Can I stick with you for now? I’m still kinda out of it, just a bit much to take in at one time, ya know?”

 “Yeah,” Niall grinned back, “no problem! Come on, we’re going to the control center.”

 

....

 

  The control center looked like something out of a sci-fi movie, and Harry stared in awe as Niall amusedly pulled him along. The huge room had an unearthly glow from the hundreds of computers in rows of cubicles, and the walls were solid screens, from floor to ceiling. He noticed that one wall was an interactive touch screen map of the world which blinked and blooped as new information was being received and sent.

   Hundreds of agents milled about, talking quietly or engrossed in work. They were everywhere: mumbling into telephones, drawing furiously on whiteboards, watching surveillance recordings, and doing other things that Harry couldn’t decipher.

   After weaving their way through the maze, they arrived at a conference room with the longest table Harry had ever seen at the center. On the back wall was another huge screen with moving numbers and letters that made his head spin.

 The room was dimly lit, which added to the eerie feel, and Harry quickly chose the seat closest to Niall. He immediately sunk into the office chair’s plushness and resisted the urge to spin it, though it seemed such reservations were uncalled for since Louis was wildly gyrating his chair as if it were a teacup ride at Disney.

    The other agents were already there and Harry counted five others besides himself. On the other side of Niall sat a girl with blond hair pulled back in a pony tail. At the head of the table a middle-aged man sifted through papers. On the far side of the table sat Louis and Liam. Harry’s observations were cut short when the man at the head of the table cleared his throat and began talking. 

   “Afternoon everyone,” he said, “I see you’re all here on time, let’s try to make this a habit, shall we?” He laughed at everyone’s sheepish expressions and Harry couldn’t help but chuckle along. He liked this man already

  “That’s Paul.” Niall whispered, leaning closer, “He’s the staff manager of our unit, which is Delta One. He’s also Irish, like me.”

   Harry grinned and elbowed him teasingly. “I didn’t know there were Irishmen in MI5. Do you bring good luck or something?”

  Niall loud snort-laugh made the others look at them strangely, and even Paul paused his monologue.

 “Was that a question or a comment, Niall?” He asked, making the others snicker. Niall rolled his eyes but didn’t answer.

   “Well since you now have our attention, why don’t you introduce your friend, ” Paul gestured to Harry, “which I hope you have a very good reason for bringing here?”

  “This is Harry, but I didn’t bring him, actually, Liam did.” Niall replied, a bit nervously.

  “That’s right,” Liam said, nodding. He briefly relayed the story of Harry’s arrival and concluded by saying, “I know he’s a civilian, but he is being targeted by the Scorps and bringing him here was the only option.”

Paul narrowed his eyes, “You just _brought_ a civilian into headquarters? Did he get any clearance?”

  “I can vouch for him sir,” Liam replied, “and I have a plan.”

“It had better be good.” Paul said sternly, “You were always one to do things by the book, don’t let that change now.”

  “Yes, sir.”

    Paul paused and studied Harry, who wished he could sink under the table, then finally spoke. “Well, its nice to meet you, Harry. Hope everything goes well and you can help us nail these mongrels.” He waved his pen in the air. Harry managed a ‘yes sir’ before Paul directed his attention back to Liam. “And vouch or no vouch, since he’s a civilian, put him next to Malik until we can look into this more. While you at it, introduce them. See if he knows anything.”

  “Malik wont talk, sir,” Liam mumbled.

 “Yeah yeah, but no harm in trying.” Paul pushed a few papers around the table and changed the subject. “So Louis?” said boy perked up at the sound of his name, “how’d it go with you and Niall? Did you intercept the payoff?”

   Louis replied by dramatically placing the briefcase on the table and flipping it open. The other agents whistled as they saw that it was full of hundred dollar bills, neatly stacked in bundles. Harry tried not to let his jaw hit the floor.

  Paul leaned back and rubbed his chin. “American money this time,” He mused, “any idea why?”

    Louis leaned forward with his arms on the table. “I do have a clue actually,” he began, “from what we understand these payments are being received in return for the transport of large amounts of goods. So far we’ve seen a huge variety of items, anything from airplane parts to diamonds, being shipped all over the world. It’s all to private buyers, and all on the black market, thus avoiding taxes and attention from the government. We don’t know what this shipment was, but the Scorps usually receive payment in the currency of the country the goods are going too. So we’re pretty sure whatever this paid for was going to the United States.”

 “So the buyers were American?”

“Not necessarily,” Louis frowned, “that could have just been the first stop. When it gets there it is sent on to the next point, so no one along the way knows its final destination.”

  “So we still don’t know what was bought, who bought it, or even where it’s going!” Paul said exasperated.

“Pretty much, but at least the Scorps don’t get this dough,” Louis picked up a pack of bills and flipped it around in his hand. “Which hopefully means the buyer will get in trouble for not paying.”

  “The more trouble we can cause, the better,” Liam added, “it draws more attention and makes them more likely to sell each other out.”

    Paul nodded thoughtfully, “Good job boys,” he said.

 The meeting went on with all the agents giving various reports. Harry tried not to listen too closely, hoping he didn’t hear any top secrets that would get him killed, even if what he did hear made no sense to him. Either way he was relieved when the meeting ended and Paul dismissed them. As soon as they were out of the room, the blond girl introduced herself as Perrie and immediately began checking Harry’s injuries. She was one of the medical officers, he learned.  Confident and gentle, she wore black combat boots with her colorful scrubs and exuded authority wherever she went. After she was satisfied with Harry’s condition, she vanished to the sick bay and the boys stepped into an elevator.

  “I’m sorry you couldn’t stay with us Harry,” Liam said, pressing the 6th floor button, “but it’s a serious breach of security that you’re here at all. If we weren’t so desperate to solve this case Paul would’ve thrown you out.”

  “Where will I stay then?” Harry asked

Liam shared a glance with Louis and Niall. “Well Paul said to put you in a room next to Malik, in the section where we keep anyone who is not cleared and might have connections to a case.”

   “Malik’s the son of one of the known Scorps leaders,” Louis tacked on, “we’re holding him as a hostage and to get information, but so far he hasn’t said anything.”

   Harry frowned , “So I’m basically going to jail.”

  Niall chuckled and clapped him on the shoulder, “Don’t worry, mate. You won’t be locked up or anything, it’s more like a hotel with really tight security.”

  “And you won’t be there long,” Liam assured, “it’s just a precaution until I can get you cleared, I’m sorry.” He looked genuinely sad and Harry shook his head and ran a hand through his own hair.

 “It’s ok,” he sighed, “as long as there a good bed for me to crash in I don’t care where I am.”

The three boys flashed him smiles as the elevator jerked to a stop, and soon they were passing rows of armed guards, one of whom opened a door and ushered them all into a spacious room.

  “Well here you are,” Liam said, flicking on the light, “it’s late now so get some sleep and we’ll introduce you to Malik tomorrow, maybe he knows something.”

 “Anyway, that‘s it! We’ll see you in the morning.” Liam said cheerily, and with a ‘goodnight’ from Louis and a quick hug from Niall, Harry was alone in the room. Or alone as he could be with two burly guards just outside the door.

   Utterly exhausted, he ripped off his shoes and flopped down on the bed. He had lost his backpack in the attack but still had his mobile, which he checked hoping to find a message from his dad, but found nothing. Dropping it carelessly, he flicked of the lamp and was asleep almost before his head hit the pillow.

 

 .....

 

 

  A muffled beeping jolted Harry awake, and he blindly shot out an arm to search for his phone. When a bit a flailing turned up nothing he grumbled and rolled halfway off the bed feeling for the end table, eyes still closed. Not finding the table either, he kept reaching father out until he lost his balance and face-planted onto the floor with a yelp, legs still tangled in the sheet. The beeping was closer now, and Harry opened his eyes to see his phone lying under the bed. Grabbing it and silencing the alarm he looked up to see that his old wooden end table in his bedroom had disappeared and a flimsy looking lamp had taken it’s place. Squinting in confusion, he rubbed his hands over his face, wincing when the contact shot pain through his jaw. Instantly the events of the day before crashed into his mind, and Harry sat up to look around the room. Sure enough, it was not his own, squashing any hope that this was all a crazy dream.

   He sat there for a bit with his head back against the mattress, wondering what would happen now. His dad was away on some money-making trip, and as usual, hadn’t contacted Harry. Last night he found out rather suddenly that some psycho criminals were after him and this morning he was sitting at MI5 headquarters in the middle of an international spy gig. Harry sighed, he just wanted breakfast.

   As if sensing his thoughts, a tinny-sounding but familiar voice floated through the room. “Harry? Harry are you awake?” He recognized Liam speaking. “There’s a speaker by the door, push the green button to talk.”

   Harry made his way to said button and pushed. “Morning. Yeah I’m awake. Fell out of bed actually.”

He heard Liam chuckle before answering. “Well the guards will bring you breakfast and we’ll be over in about an hour to get you. Is that ok?”

“Sure, see you then.”

By the time Harry ate the sizable breakfast brought to him by a guard and freshened up in the small bathroom, there was a knock at the door. Trying for the last time, and failing, to get his hair to sit right, he went to the door and tugged it open. There facing him were Niall and Liam’s smiling faces and Louis’ sassy/professional look that seemed to be the norm for him.

“Sleep well mate?” Niall queried, to which Harry nodded his head.

“Good,“ Liam said, “cause we’ve got bad news and good news.”

“Good news first please,” Harry asked.

Niall threw his arm around Harry’s shoulders and they all began walking. “Well the good news is, thanks to Liam here throwing his weight around, you got A-level security clearance, which is pretty much the best you can get in these parts. Which also means you kind of get to work with us!”

“That the bad news,” Louis said rolling his eyes.

Liam frowned at Louis, then replied, “No, the bad part is you still have to stay in this room. Like, you’ll be helping with the case and all but you’re not actually an MI5 agent so…”

“Don’t worry about it,” Harry replied, “I wasn’t really expecting any of this so I’ll be hard to disappoint.”

“Oh for…Is everyone just going to act like this is normal?” Louis burst out, stopping and staring at the others in disbelief. “Did anyone even _ask_ him if he wanted to work with us? Did anyone bother to say, ‘oh by the way Harry we know you’re just an ordinary citizen but would you like to just drop your life and help bloody MI5 catch international criminals who might also want you dead?’” He huffed out a breath and gestured to Harry, “He doesn’t even know anything about this kind of work, he’ll just mess up or get himself killed!”

  An awkward silence settled on the four boys as they stood in the hallway, still shocked from Louis’ outburst. A clock ticked defiantly on the wall and Harry dropped his head to look at the floor. He didn’t know why Louis words affected him so much, it was all true after all. Harry was just a nobody who happened to get thrown into this mess. He was by no means qualified to help highly-trained spies, he could hardly make his own breakfast without tripping or breaking something. On top of all that, Harry had to admit he was scared. From what he had heard and experienced, the Scorps were not people to be messed with, and the last thing he wanted to do was get himself or someone else killed. If he messed up, it would just be another reason to be a disappointment to his dad, and these boys he just met might hate him.

   It was Niall who finally broke the silence. “I think it is Harry’s choice if he wants to stay or not,” he said, “But if you do leave, you still won’t be safe. You could be the missing link, Harry. We’ve been trying to put an end to this for years, but now we need _you_.” Harry blinked rapidly and looked up to meet Niall’s gaze. “We’ll understand if you say no, but if you say yes, we just might stop these guys from doing a lot of damage.” Niall turned to Louis, “and Lou, just cause he’s helping us out doesn’t mean he’ll be doing field work, all it could be is telling us what he knows. We have no idea what this could come to but we’ll take it one step at a time, ok?”

Louis’ shoulders relaxed and he nodded. “Yeah, ok…sorry,” he sent Harry a small smile which he returned.

 “When did you become the voice of reason, Ni?” Liam grinned, bumping Niall’s shoulder as they resumed walking.

“About the time I became Louis’ field partner. Someone has to keep this maniac from breaking every rule in the book.”

“Ha ha, very funny,” Louis retorted, “I can break the rules because I’ve never blown a mission yet!” He poked Niall in the stomach, “and I keep you supplied with junk food so I suggest you don’t complain.”

“Alright kids, that’s enough,” Liam cut in, “we’ve got work to do. It’s time for Harry to meet Zayn.”

 

 

****

 

Zayn Malik was a deeply mysterious character. At least, that’s the impression Harry received on first meeting him. From all the hype about the infamous son of a Scorps leader that not even MI5 could get information out of, meeting him in person was very…well, anti-climactic.

 After making their way down a camera-infested hall and let in the room by armed guards, they weren’t even spared a glance from the dark-haired boy sprawled on the sofa. Sounds of Mario Cart filled the room as he sat, game controller in hand, lazily pressing buttons and seeming undisturbed by the four intruders.

 Liam got right to the point, “We need to talk, Malik.” His tone left no room for discussion and Harry noted that all the agents now wore sharp looks and stony expressions, previous banter long gone. The boy didn’t speak but paused the game, looking at Liam with a “what?” expression. Liam ignored the attitude and continued.

“There’s a few questions we need to ask, but first,” he gestured to Harry, “this is Harry Styles, son of Edmond Styles who is the owner of Styles and Co. Software. He‘s 20 years old and studies engineering at UCL.” Liam went on to give a brief biography and Harry wondered how he knew so much about him, but figured an A-level security clearance came with a background check. When Liam finished, Zayn showed no signs of having heard, staring at Harry with an unreadable expression.

   “Nice to meet you.” Harry said, more from habit than anything else, Zayn quirked an eyebrow but didn’t comment, instead looking back to Liam and speaking for the first time.

“So why is he here?” he asked simply, and Harry had to strain to hear him, amazed that a prisoner with such an imposing reputation would be so soft-spoken.

“Harry was attacked by three Scorps last night,” Liam answered, “we believe their intent was kidnapping. What we don’t know is why him?”

“That’s why we’re here,” Louis piped up, “we need clues. Do you recognize names or anything that could give us a clue to why Harry is a target? Any ideas of how the Scorps usually go about these things or what they could be planning?”

Zayn looked away, shrugging his shoulders, “I don’t know any of that.”

“Malik, you’re the only son of one of the top Scorps leaders, anything you know could be helpful. You could have been his successor, they must have integrated you somehow!” Liam pressed.

Zayn snorted and picked the game controller back up. “I wasn’t the successor,” he said calmly, “and what makes you think I’d want to help you anyway?”

Liam groaned and rubbed his hand down his face. Louis glared holes into the side of Zayn’s head, while Niall had an exaggerated frown and narrowed eyes. Harry assumed Niall was trying to look intimidating but it wasn’t really working.

“Malik, I don’t care if you want to help or not.” Liam leaned forward with his hands on the arm of the couch, “There are lives on the line and we know you know more than you say. You’re just making it harder on yourself, your life there is over, you’re not going back. However long it takes us, we _will_ dismantle the Scorps and if you help it will go easier for you. Not to mention you could save a lot of lives and property. But you won’t do that.”

Zayn’s eyes flashed and he flung the controller into the wall. “Get out.” he said lowly. “Don’t bother coming back.” He refused to meet their gaze and the other boys shared glances before Louis sighed and motioned toward the door. As they silently filed out, Harry looked back over his shoulder to see Zayn still staring at the tv, jaw clenched.

   “Well that was a flop.” Niall commented.

“I really don’t know what to do with him.” Liam groaned, “at this point we’re just wasting valuable time trying to get him to talk. We need to start focusing our efforts elsewhere.”

“Maybe he really doesn’t know anything,” Harry wondered, and Louis shook his head.

“All our intelligence tells us he knows. A lot. Why he’s so tight-lipped about it though is a mystery. He doesn’t even seem bothered by being a prisoner for an indefinite period of time.”

“Mystery or no mystery, we’re going to have to solve the case without him,” Liam decided, “first things first, we need to determine just what Harry’s role is going to be.”

“Maybe he can tag along with us for a while,” Niall suggested.

“We’re not always together though, and no one is allowed to go with one of us when we have a mission unless they are assigned.” Liam replied.

“We’re not all on a mission at once though, he could get passed around or something, kind of learn what we all do, that can’t hurt.”

Liam dragged his hand down his face. “Ugh, I don’t know, this is all so haywire”.

 “What’s the matter Liam?” Louis teased, “nothing about this in that dog-eared manual of yours?”

  “Policy is important Louis! But I guess we’ll have to wing it for now.” At this, Louis gasped dramatically and clutched a hand to his chest, while Niall cracked up laughing.

“I never thought I’d hear Liam say that! Looks like you’re a good influence, Harry!”

 

…...

 

  Harry was with Liam for the first shift. He tried to ignore the feeling of being babysat and be as helpful as possible, which wasn’t too hard because Liam worked with computers. Not just any computers; super-computers that Harry was sure his dad would kill to see. They were currently back in headquarters making their way to Liam’s station, the latter pointing out things of interest along the way.

“Check this out,” Liam pointed to a wall of shelves filled with iPads. “When any agent is sent on a mission they get an ipad assigned to them with systems and/or software specifically for that mission. After it is complete, the iPad gets wiped clean and placed on the shelf for the next agent.” He pulled one labeled ‘AF776’ off the shelf and handed it to Harry.

“I hear you’re pretty good with computers,” he said, “you can take this one, I’ll show you some of the software, it’s so awesome!”

Harry chuckled at Liam’s enthusiasm and took the pad, “Are you sure I can just have this?” He asked.

“Yeah, of course!” he replied, scanning his ID card on a machine nearby. “It goes under my name and whatever I assign to the case won’t be a problem.”

  They walked until they reached Liam’s cubicle, Harry pulling up a chair while the agent began manipulating the computer system that surrounded them on three sides.

    “So my job is mainly doing research and tracking of new information that comes in,” Liam was saying, “In this section, we send and receive messages from agents around the world and sometimes even the Scorps. We never know when someone will call with a tip-off or some sort of demand. There’s several people just answering phones for that reason. Everything is recorded of course.” He paused to slip a jump drive into the one of the millions of ports under the table. “Let’s get you started on that iPad, I’ll show you the software and you can customize it yourself.”

    Harry listened attentively as Liam explained everything, finally coming to the profile database, where he opened a file which showed the three men who attacked Harry. Liam leaned back, nearly squishing the other boy, as their chairs were now jammed together and their elbows brushed whenever one of them moved.

   “That’s the guys who tried to grab you,” Liam said, “Just your average thugs really, there’s nothing that seems to connect them to you, so they probably had orders from someone higher up.” Harry leaned closer to get a better look, studying the faces on the screen as if that would magically give him answers.

“But I haven’t done anything,” he said more to the computer than to Liam, “what could possibly make them pick me?”

   “I don’t know.“

“Would’ve thought you knew everything after that huge background check you did on me,“ Harry smirked.”  Liam chuckled and thought for a minute, then suddenly looked up.

“Your dad’s company is international right? Maybe they are using you to get to him?”

Harry’s stomach clenched and he shrugged tensely, “That could be it, how can we know for sure?”

“Tell me everything you know about your dad and his company.” Liam began grabbing papers and typing furiously.

“Why don’t you do a check on him, too? Harry asked.

“We‘ll do that too,” Liam set a voice recorder between them and pressed play. “Are you ready?”

Harry nodded, “let’s do this.”

“Alright, lets start with the basics. How long have you and your dad lived in London?”

 

 ..... 

 

Over the next few days Harry was getting accustomed to his new surroundings. He had spent most of his time in Liam’s cubicle, fiddling with his iPad, which by now had quite an intricate system. Once, he had been sent to the hospital ward to help Perrie, but he kept tripping over things and was squeamish during stitches so she kicked him out. Harry didn’t mind. Perrie was nice, but hospitals were definitely not his thing.

   The most memorable thing so far was sitting in a cramped control center while Niall backed up Louis on a recon mission. The blond haired boy was perched on the edge of his seat bantering with Louis through the headset, giving him updates and documenting everything the other found. Harry’s heart was in this throat the whole time, eyes glued to the tiny, blinking dot that indicated Louis’ location. Niall and Louis worked together seamlessly like the experts they were, making quick work of the mission and getting out of sticky situations with skilled brilliance. Harry knew they were good at what they did, and wasn’t at all surprised when he later found out that Liam, Niall and Louis had been MI5’s top three agents for the past two years.

  The morning of the fifth day, Harry was dragged out of bed by Louis, who was again late for a meeting, and dropped of unceremoniously at the door of Niall’s explosives lab. He knocked and waited until he heard Niall yell, “C’mon in!”

   Not quite sure what to expect from a room full of bombs, Harry gingerly opened the door, stepping inside and maneuvering around the tables and boxes filled with potentially deadly material. Finally he spotted the blond-haired boy hunched over a table literally covered with piles of wire.

  “Hey Niall,” he said, finally taking a spot next to some harmless-looking clay, “How’s it going?”

“Harry!” Niall beamed, “I’m great! Just building some detonators, wanna watch?” He was wearing a slightly singed lab coat and safety goggles that made his blue eyes appear larger than life.

  “Sure!“ Harry grinned back and watched the other boy. Niall began swaying and singing under his breath as he worked, occasionally pointing out something to Harry, who watched amazed has Niall deftly pieced the tiny parts together.

  “What’s this?” Harry asked, picking up a piece of grey-ish clay from the table beside him.

“That’s C-4,” Niall replied, then laughed at Harry’s terrified expression. “Don’t worry, can’t be set off by dropping, shooting, burning, or microwaving. Detonator only.”

“What about this?” Harry, feeling bolder now, moved over to a dish of white granules, “It smells like bleach.”

“Don’t touch that!” Niall yelped, snatching Harry away, “Acetone peroxide. Goes off with the slightest heat or shock.”

“And you just leave it out like that!” Harry exclaimed.

Niall looked a bit sheepish, but just shrugged. “I’m usually the only one in here. You’d better learn the ropes around here or I’ll make you wear that.” He pointed to a blue hazmat suit hanging on the wall.

 “That’s not so bad,” Harry remarked, peeking through the faceguard, “I could wear this.”

“Designed it myself.” Niall said proudly, “But nobody can use it until its been officially tested.”

  “Wow,” Harry mumbled, “you’re an actual genius!”

Niall grinned and turned back to his wire jungle. “Nah, not really, just had a lot of practice.”

   They continued talking until Niall announced he had a meeting and dragged Harry out of the lab with him. “No going in here while I’m gone.” He said sternly, and vanished down the hall, arms full of his latest production.

  Thankfully Harry knew his way around enough to keep himself occupied, and headed straight to the one place he had been dying to see: the garage.

   Following the signs marked “Motor Pool” he stepped through the air lock and gaped in awe. The garage was cavernous, and was filled with every motorized vehicle imaginable. He whistled softly when he spotted a black Lamborghini sitting next to an old beat-up Jeep and jumped when he heard a chuckle behind him. Turning, he saw Liam approach with a smirk.

“She’s a beauty huh?” he nodded toward the car, “too bad we can only have one, flashy cars aren’t always the best idea on a case. Only for special occasions.”

   Harry nodded, running his hand along the hood. “It’s worth it just for the looks though,” he hummed.

   Liam grinned and shook his head, “Oh she’s _way_ more than just looks, Harry. Every car in this place is a specially modified super-computer designed to help on missions. Some are even driverless. Tell it coordinates and it will meet you there. You can take one car there and another back.”

 Harry’s head was spinning, his excitement must have shown on his face because Liam was watching him with a squinty-eyed smile.

“This one is Louis’ by the way,” he added, “come here, I’ll show you mine.”

“You each have your own!” Harry squeaked.

Liam laughed, “Yeah sorta, but other agents can use them if needed.” He stopped in front of a dark red McLaren and climbed in, an eager Harry following.

 “This can be remote controlled if necessary,” Liam explained, lovingly stroking the leather interior, “also has a special tracking system that can automatically locate and follow another car.”

“Wow,” Harry breathed.

“I hear your good with cars.” Liam said casually, and Harry jerked up to meet his amused gaze. “If you want, I can set you up with the mechanics, you can help upgrade these babies.”

“Wha…are you kidding! Yeah, I’d LOVE THAT!” The green-eyed boy was practically glowing, and the agent clapped him on the shoulder before getting out.

“Alright, I‘ll see what I can do.”

“Can I look underneath for a minute?” Harry asked.

“Sure, have at it.”

As Harry slid under the car as far as possible, Liam spied Louis walking towards them. The older boy gave a small wave, and shifted his bag strap higher on his shoulder.

“Hello Liam! How’s it going…woah!” Louis startled, nearly tripping over the unexpected pair of legs sprawled on the floor.”

“Hey Lou! Harry’s in his element, apparently. M’gonna set him up with the upgrade department.”

“Hmm, good.” Louis replied, then crouching next to the legs, “Hey Harry!”

The long body wormed along until the trademark dimples appeared. “Louiiiis!” He drawled, “nice to see yaaa”

Louis rolled his eyes and poked the other boy’s forehead. “You think this is cool, Curly? That Ferrari,” he pointed across the room, “obeys voice commands.” At Harry’s disbelieving expression, he stood. “Here, I’ll show you.”

“Bluebird, come,” he called. A beeping was heard and sure enough, the blue car started immediately and drove toward them, maneuvering carefully until it stopped directly in front of Louis. Harry stood speechless as the focused agent put the car through its paces, walking toward it with extended hand and saying ‘backup, backup,’ which the car obeyed to the letter.

   “He’s just showing off cause that was his idea,” Liam nudged his shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he added cheerfully, “you’ll be doing this stuff in no time.”

“How does that even…” Harry ran a hand through his hair before giving up completely. “So you each have your own cars, what does Niall have?” he asked.

“Niall gets a Segway.” Liam joked, and Harry barked out a laugh.

“What does it do? Breathe fire?” He asked.

“No it shape shifts into an F-16.” Louis replied casually, then burst out laughing at Harry’s saucer eyes. “Just kidding!” he cackled.

 ‘I gotta go now,” Liam looked at his watch, “Louis, why don’t you take Harry to the shooting range, you got time?”

Louis paused, glancing away, but not missing the ‘look’ Liam was giving him. “Sure,” he finally said, “we can do that.”

 

……

 

 

“No no, lock your wrist like this!”

   Louis had to shout to be heard over the firing and through the ear guards both of them were wearing. Harry had been quite good at shooting an old rifle at his grandfathers farm but the gleaming automatic pistol he was now holding felt way out of his league. Louis was giving demonstrations and quick instructions that made Harry’s brain swirl.

   When they had arrived at the range a bounding Louis had dumped an armful of gear onto the other boy. “If you want to survive in this place, Curly, you gotta be focused!” He began, “Outrun, outshoot, and outwit anything else out there.“

   “Liam said you’ve got a fast draw and a faster mouth,“ Harry brilliantly replied.

Louis barked out a laugh, “That sounds like something Li would say. I bet he’s just jealous ‘cause he can’t hit the broad side of a barn.“ He grabbed an ammo belt that looked to weigh as much as he did and hauled it onto his shoulder.

  “Is that really true?” Harry asked.

“Nah, he’s actually pretty good. I just like taking the mickey out of him.”

  Once they had started shooting Harry had been doing pretty well, but before long things started to get intense. Louis began moving down the range with lightning-quick firing that left Harry struggling to keep up. Lying down, kneeling, standing, from behind barricades, he moved faster and faster until Harry gave up and watched, wide-eyed as the agent obliterated every target with near-robotic precision. The noise was deafening, even through the ear guards clamped tightly on his head. Harry tried to wrap his arms around them to block it out. Louis seemed oblivious to everything, face taunt and movements abrupt. Finally, casting a quick glance around the room, he spotted Harry. Seeing the younger boy‘s expression he stopped, lowering the gun. They stared at each other for a few seconds before Louis completely deflated and slumped down against the barrier. He suddenly looked much older, and even from a distance Harry could see him taking huge, jerky breaths. Standing, the lanky boy made he way through the cartridge-covered floor and sat down at the other boy’s side, back to the barrier. They sat in silence until Louis’ breathing had slowed, and when he finally spoke, his voice was smaller than Harry had ever heard it.

  “You shouldn’t be here.”

Harry frowned and was about to protest but Louis quickly corrected himself. “No, I mean…you’re good. With the right training you could give the rest of us a run for our money, but…but _you’re not an agent,_ Harry! You don’t belong here. You didn’t choose to be here, it might look like fun but you should be home safe and not mixed up in all this.” He looked away from mangled targets at the end of the range and turned to Harry.

   “You shouldn’t be in a place like this,” he said quietly, “you don’t know what its like...” he trailed off and leaned his head back. After a beat of silence, Harry spoke.

“But I like it here.”

Louis frowned, “Why?”

Harry shrugged and looked down at the gun in his hand, “Well, I got friends?” Louis sighed, but Harry added, “…aaaand a Ferrari that obeys voice commands is pretty darn awesome!” Louis chuckled softly and shook his head as Harry continued. “But seriously, I’ve been here what, a month? My dad has never called, I haven’t heard from my mom in years, what would I be doing at home? Sitting around? Going to school? Working on my very not-super car?”

    Louis picked at his shoe, “That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Yeah, well it is. Being alone sucks, doesn’t matter how safe it is.”

“I guess you’re right,” Louis replied, then poked Harry in the side. “You’re good for us ya know?” he said, “Its not just anyone that can walk into MI5 and _charm_ hardened agents…” Harry was laughing now. “No really!” Louis insisted, grinning, “You bring out the best in us Curly, we’ll all be different people when this is over.”

   “More mushy?” Harry wondered, and got a handful of empty cartages flung at him.

 

……..

 

 

In the following weeks Harry began feeling less like a babysitting job and more like a part of the team. He continued moving around from agent to agent, sometimes working out when Liam could convince everyone to quit complaining and do it. He had also perfected his own program on the ‘borrowed’ iPad and was quite proud of it, but no matter how much the others begged and pleaded, he would never show it to them. “You’ll seeeee!!” he would crow, snatching the device away from grabby hands on all sides.

    Thanks to Louis, the others had taken to calling him ‘The Littlest Agent” even though he was taller than everyone. After the talk at the shooting range he had become fast friends with the blue-eyed boy, but for some reason he was still a bit standoffish and reluctant to include Harry in mission-related things. This frustrated Harry to no end, and he zealously took every opportunity to prove himself.

   It was this very thought that was at the front of his mind as he peeked out of the elevator on the sixth floor. He wasn’t entirely sure he should be doing this, but he was more observant than most, and once he began solving puzzles in his head, nothing could stop him.

  The current ’puzzle’ being assembled was none other than Zayn Malik. Ever since Harry had first met MI5’s resident enigma, he had made it a kind of personal goal to figure the quiet hostage out. Sure he had read all the files and asked all the questions, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was something crucial missing. There were too many gaps in the story, as if the person on paper and the one in detention on the top floor were two different people.

   It was because of this that Harry found himself approaching the doors to Zayn‘s corridor. He had chosen the time carefully, as nearly everyone was in weekly department meetings, leaving only the standard guards who easily let Harry pass. Apparently an A-level security clearance meant you could do pretty much anything no questions asked, and he silently thanked Liam as he stepped into the empty hall.

   At Zayn’s door he paused, took a deep breath, and knocked. He hadn’t been here since his second day at MI5 when Liam, Niall, and Louis introduced them. He wondered if the guy even remembered him. Maybe he would be angry, they didn’t leave on the best terms after all.

  “ _He had every right to be angry,”_ Harry thought, but it could be dangerous, and he really had no idea what he was going to say if Zayn actually answered the…

  Door. Yes. The door was open. A dark-haired boy was leading against the frame, arms crossed, looking at him with absolutely no facial expression whatsoever. Only when he popped his chewing gum loudly, did Harry jolt into action.

  “Um hello.”

“Hi.” There was that ridiculous quiet voice again. He was studying Harry, but didn’t look upset, so Harry continued.

  “Wasn’t sure you were going to answer the door, but I wanted to talk to you and…would that be ok?”

 Zayn looked at Harry quizzically, “You knocked.”

Harry furrowed his brow, “Um yeah?”

 Raised eyebrow. “Usually you lot just walk in.”

“Well like,  my sister used to do that a lot and I never really liked it, so…”

Zayn scoffed, a half smirk making a quick appearance. “Ok but I don’t talk to agents.”

   “Yeah I know, but I’m not _actually_ an agent and I really just want to help. I mean, I read your files and all but it just doesn’t add up! Somehow I’m involved, and somehow you’re involved, and I kind of need answers,“ he sighed and leaned against the opposite doorframe, “I honestly don’t know.”

  Zayn frowned a bit, “Don’t know what?”

  Harry shrugged, “I don’t really think you have the answers.”

“But you still want to talk?”

Harry nodded,

“You came here on your own time to chat with a prisoner?” the other boy asked, slightly exasperated.

“Why not?” Harry replied, meeting his gaze, “We’re sort of in the same boat you know. We’re here against our will, and don’t really fit in anywhere.”

After a bit of silence, Zayn wordlessly pushed away from the door, tilting his head into the room for Harry to follow. When they got inside he gestured to the sofa with a tattooed arm. “Have a seat,” he said simply, “I don’t bite.”

  “You’re not worried or something?” Harry queried, “Like, you don’t even know me.”

   “I could say the same to you,” Zayn shot back, “Besides I must know your whole life story from Payne’s little bio last time.”

 “He forgot the part where I failed coloring in Year 1” Harry said seriously, and Zayn snorted.

 “That must have been a hard blow to your self-esteem, mate. Trying to make up for it with that hair?” he asked.

  Harry squawked indignantly and threw a pillow at Zayn, which he effortlessly defected. His smile was more real this time, Harry noticed, eyes squinted and nose scrunched slightly. It made Harry strangely happy.

 Within a few minutes Zayn started up Super Mario and tossed Harry a controller. Playful banter flowed carefully at first, but as time progressed they relaxed a bit, Harry realizing the boy sitting next to him was very similar to himself, or any other lad for that matter. Truth be told, he had more in common with the thin, mysterious captive than with the other boys.

    Harry’s phone buzzed and he fished it out, ‘Nialler’ lighting up the screen.

_Were r u!!! Liam wants to wrk out, save meeeee!!”_

 

Harry chuckled and stood up “I gotta go,” he said, ‘see you later?”

Zayn nodded. He was still reserved, but the lingering awkwardness was long gone and Harry counted that as a success. “Yeah, that’d be great,” Zayn answered after a bit, then looked up, “and thanks.”

“Why are you thanking me? I’m gonna beat you next time.” Harry said, heading for the door.

“Not happenin‘!” Zayn called back, and Harry laughed.

“We'll see about that!"

 

 ......

 

   Harry began to spend more time with Zayn after that. Not much of course, just whenever he had a chance to slip away without anyone wondering where he went. He never told them either, maybe eventually he would, but now it would feel like a betray of trust. Sometimes he and Zayn would play video games, sometimes they would hang out and chat. Zayn never told him anything Scorps related, but slowly they were getting to know each other, and something told Harry that’s what was needed.

     When he wasn’t sneak-visiting Zayn, Harry was continuing his “work” with the other boys. Niall, Liam and Louis were quite busy, but he saw them every day, and they kept him informed about what was happening.

  Harry did his best to help where he could, and the boys came into the motor pool more than once to find him under one smart-ified car or another, covered in oil. Liam would shriek and jump away when Harry tried to hug him, Niall would laugh and dump more oil on him, and Louis would mind-control his stupid car to shield himself.

  They were best friends now, Harry realized. They all fit together seamlessly, even if Louis was still a bit distant. They had their routines and were comfortable in their work. Then, one day, everything changed.

 

Louis had left early that morning, grumbling something about paperwork that had to be personally escorted across town.

 “Police work isn’t all glamour and guns, Lou,” Liam had reminded, “there’s an awful lot of filing.”

“ _Awful_ being the operative word, this will take me all day!” Louis groaned, shoving the folder in a briefcase and snatching his car keys off the wall.

   That was about two hours ago, and Harry and Liam were currently in the “mudroom” Harry had first been brought to the night he was attacked. It seemed so long ago, but the couch was just as dirty and the airlock just as noisy, whirling open as Niall stepped in from the main garage.

 “Lou’s already gone?” he asked

“Yup,” Harry replied, and Liam nodded, still glued to the computer.

“Ok, well I’ve picked up something unusual from one of our trackers in East London, I’m gonna go check it out.” Niall said, crawling under the table to retrieve his backpack of tools.

 “Wait, what’s unusual?” Liam asked, moving his chair to give the Irishman more room.

“One of the surveillance cameras went out, and the ones nearby are acting kinda spazzy.” Niall’s muffled voice explained. “Probably an electrical failure, I’m bringing extra wire.” He emerged with said wire and the dusty bag.

  “Alright then, be careful,” Liam replied.

“Sure thing, bye Li, bye Harry!” Niall waved, and he hurried out.

Silence settled on the two remaining boys as Liam continued his work and Harry sprawled on the couch fiddling with his iPad. For the past few days he had been testing the functions of a few apps, and so far they had worked perfectly.

    A few hours passed. Agents came and went, bringing either information or questions to Liam. Harry got bored and his eyelids drooped. He vaguely heard Niall’s voice on the radio, saying he was on his way back, before laying the ipad on his chest and falling asleep.

 

   A loud bang jolted Harry awake, and he nearly fell off the couch as he frantically looked around. Liam was looking towards the airlock, where the sound had come from, but before he could say anything the outer doors opened and Niall tumbled through, landing on his hands and knees on the inside of the airlock. The doors immediately shut behind him, trapping him in the small room. Liam jumped out of his chair and lunged for the airlock, trying to open the inner doors but they wouldn’t budge. A shrill alarm began blaring, and red lights flashed everywhere. “LOCKDOWN INITIATED” an automated voice joined the alarm, “CONTAMINATE DETECTED”

  They could see Niall’s panicked face through the glass door and Liam shouted into the intercom, “What happened?!” Niall tried to reply but began coughing and collapsed. Liam rushed to the left of the airlock and studied the screen there.

“What’s going on Liam!” Harry cried, seeing Niall’s breathing become more erratic.

“Cyanide gas,” Liam read from the display, “It detected it on him and locked up so it wouldn’t get in the building. The garage is shut down too.” Liam turned to see Harry on his knees, palms pressed to the glass that was separating them from Niall.

“What will it do to him?” Harry asked terrified.

Liam continued reading frantically. “I don’t know it doesn’t say! But he obviously needs air,” He hit a few buttons that deployed an oxygen mask into the airlock. “Get him to put it on,” he said to Harry, “I need to get Perrie.”

“Already ahead of you!”

  Both boys turned to see Perrie rush into the room with a medical bag. “I’ve got that screen too, remember? He’s inhaled hydrogen cyanide gas, which prevents the body cells from using oxygen. Symptoms: dizziness, headache, nausea, tight chest, rapid heart-rate and breathing, weakness…”

“Don’t tell us what it does,” Liam snapped, “how do we stop it!”

  Perrie ripped open the bag and began pulling things out, “If he got a lethal dose, he’ll be dead within 12 minutes of contact. My guess is he already had it before he got here so that doesn’t leave much time. Here’s the antidote,” she held up a syringe filled with bright red liquid, “give him this shot of hydroxocobalamin, and it will counteract the cyanide.”

“But how do we get in there?” Harry asked.

“We could go through the sub-lock,” Liam pointed to a telephone-booth-looking room attached to the airlock, “But anyone who goes in could inhale the gas too, we don’t have a hazmat suit and it won’t unlock!” He punched the side of the door desperately. Niall was curled up on the far wall, shaking and gasping for breath. His eyes were glassy and unfocused, but Harry could see the fear behind them.

“Six minutes…“ Perrie’s voice was strained as she looked at her watch. Suddenly, a memory flashed through Harry’s mind and he shot up.

“We DO have a hazmat suit!” he shouted, and flew out of the room before the other two could question. His feet pounded as he ran, images of the light blue suit hanging in Niall’s lab urging him forward. Bursting into the room, he snatched the suit and dashed back to the others, who looked shocked when Harry began putting it on.

“That suit’s not tested Harry!” Liam protested, grabbing his arm and holding him back, “You can’t go in like that, it might not work!”

“Four minutes!” Perrie called.

Harry glared at Liam through the headpiece, “Niall designed it, it _will_ work! Look at him again and tell me not to go!”

  Liam glanced back at Niall, who was barely conscious, and released Harry with a distressed look. Perrie handed him the syringe and Harry stepped into the sub-lock, waiting restlessly as it sealed and opened into the main lock. He nearly threw himself on the floor beside Niall, pulling up the blonde’s sleeve to give the injection. “Come on Niall, come on!” he begged. Niall’s chest heaved, trying to get oxygen his body couldn’t use, and he was pale and sweating. Once the shot was finished, Harry pulled the limp boy to his chest and clutched him tightly. The oxygen mask was still on his face, but Harry focused on the terrified blue eyes filled with tears.

“It’s ok Niall,” he soothed, hoping the other boy could hear him. He began rocking gently and looked up to see Liam and Perrie watching with bated breath. It was several agonizing minutes before Niall’s breathing evened out, and his eyes began to close.

“No, no, hey!” Harry said, “no sleeping, can you hear me?” Niall slowly looked up and nodded.

   “…Yeah,” he rasped, the most beautiful sound Harry had ever heard, “yeah I can hear you.”

 

…….

 

   After getting Niall out of his contaminated clothes, Perrie had whisked him off to the sick bay. Liam stayed behind to help Harry shed his suit into a hazmat bin, both moving in exhausted silence. The airlock had opened after the gas was cleared away, and the alarms and lights were gone. When Harry pulled off the headpiece he was shocked to find his face wet, not realizing he had been crying. As he began wiping his cheeks, he felt Liam’s hand on his shoulder.

“You alright Haz?” he asked softly. Harry nodded and was pulled into a hug. “That was a brave thing you did,” Liam murmured, voice rumbling low in his chest. It relaxed Harry a bit and he hugged back, breathing deeply.

“Let’s go,” Harry finally said, pulling back and smiling at Liam, “I’d rather not think about it if its all the same to you.”

 The older lad chuckled, “Alright, lets start digging trenches for when Louis gets here.”

  

   Harry was puzzled by Liam’s words but didn’t have time to think about it. The bigger question on everyone’s mind was how this happened in the first place. Once they got to the medical ward, Liam leveled everyone with a look and told Niall to start explaining.

  “It was my fault really,” Niall sighed, “I should have known it was a trap, I thought there was something strange about it, but just shook it off.”

“What do you mean, a trap?” Liam inquired.

“Someone cut the power to the first tracker and messed up the others in the vicinity, apparently hoping that if they were ours, someone would come to fix it.”

“And you showed up alone you dummy!” Perrie huffed.

“But how did the gas get to you?” Harry asked.

“It must have been planted in my car while I was gone,” Niall shrugged, “a delayed trigger, I’m guessing, since it didn’t release till I was almost here.”

  “Good thing too,” Liam mumbled, “I’ll have the motor pool check your car for some sort of planted device.”

   Despite Niall insisting he was fine, Perrie was ordering strict rest and a few days off. Niall’s argument was weakened, however, by the fact he was talking around the oxygen mask he still had to wear. Finally they reached a compromise, and the three boys were back in the agents dorm a few minutes later, after Liam and Harry promised the worried nurse to make Niall rest.

    Harry carried tea into the living room to see Niall and Liam on the couch watching a movie, though it looked more like Liam was on the couch and Niall was on Liam. The blond boy had a bowl of popcorn and a carton of ice cream on his lap, eating with eyes glued to the screen. At first glance it looked like Liam was watching too, but as Harry got closer he could see Liam just had his arms wrapped around the boy on his lap, eyes closed and forehead resting on Niall’s back. Harry smiled and carefully set the tea down before sitting next to them. They watched in silence for a while before they got a group text from Perrie:

_Lou’s back, you guys are in for it! Good luck!_

Harry looked quizzically at Liam but didn’t get an answer before hearing pounding footsteps in the hallway. The kitchen door burst open and Louis appeared, eyes wild and hair sticking in all directions. When he saw them he simply stopped, staring them down with an almost cold expression.

“Hi Lou,” Niall said meekly.

“What happened,” Louis said lowly, every word deliberate. The power behind his words unsettled Harry a bit, but the other two seemed familiar with this side of the agent. Liam opened his mouth to explain but Louis raised a hand to cut him off. “No, I _know_ what happened. What I want to know is _how it is possible_ that Niall went _by himself_ to investigate something when we _know_ what the Scorps are capable of, and how Harry went into a contaminated environment in an _untested_ _suit!”_ He was yelling at this point but no one moved to stop him, “I want to know what possessed _you_ ,” he pointed at Niall, “to disregard protocol and common sense to waltz out like you’re going to a tea party, and _you_ ,” he pointed at Harry, “to risk both your lives by using unsafe equipment to do things you haven’t been trained to do! Reckless idiots, both of you.” Louis threw up his arms and began pacing.

  Something snapped inside Harry and he leaped to his feet, towering over the shorter boy who was radiating anger and some other emotion Harry couldn’t place. “Would you rather I had left him there?” Harry demanded, voice cracking at the memory of Niall’s limp form, “are you yelling at me for trying to save him?”

“I’m mad at _what_ you did, not _why_ you did it!” Louis shot back, “this is not a game, we have rules for a reason. You were both being stupid and could have been killed!” They were inches apart now, glowering at each other, but before either could make a move, Niall was between them.

 “Louis,” Niall’s voice was gentle, and he placed his hands on Louis’ shoulders, “I’m sorry Lou, I’m alright now, really. It’s ok. Please don’t yell at Harry…please?”

Louis was still rigid, but as Niall made him take a few breaths Harry could see him trembling. Louis inhaled deeply, fighting to calm himself down, then finally looked up at Niall.

“I…I’m…” he gave up on words and pulled Niall to him, gripping him so tightly it must have hurt, but Niall made no move to get away. “Promise me it won’t happen again,” Louis’ muffled words came from Niall’s sweater.

“I promise, Lou,” Niall replied. Liam moved next to them and rubbed Louis back comfortingly, but when they finally looked up, Harry was gone.

 

….

 

   The guards didn’t bother checking Harry’s ID anymore, barely glancing at him as he passed by. It was just as well, because as soon as Zayn opened the door he got an armful of Harry. If it startled the other boy he didn’t show it, he simply held him there in the doorway, light streaming into the corridor. Neither boy said a word until Zayn gently pulled Harry inside and sat him on the couch, guiding a steaming cup of tea into his hand. 

 “Hey,” Zayn murmured softly, hand on Harry’s knee.

  “Hi,” Harry replied, eyes downcast.

The dark haired boy frowned at the dejected expression on the usually-cheerful face. “Now, I might not be able to help, but I would like if you at least told me what was going on,” he offered.

    Harry chewed on his lip, “Well, it’s been a rough day really…” he finally began.

   Zayn listened quietly while Harry told his story, starting with Niall’s arrival and ending with the confrontation with Louis. They both remained silent for a while after Harry had finished, the younger boy curled in a ball on the couch, still struggling to control his emotions. The leftover fear and shock from Niall’s attack plus the strain of the fight with Louis was combining into a big ball of stress, wearing him down from the inside. Harry rubbed his eyes vigorously, trying to stop the few tears that managed to escape. Zayn gently brushed Harry’s hair out of his face,

   “You know,” he said suddenly, “Louis, was there the day I was captured.” Harry picked his head up in surprise, wondering why Zayn chose now to bring up his past. Zayn must have seen his confusion because he went straight to the point.

 “Louis is the most experienced agent in his department. He’s the leader, and the oldest of your little group, no?” Harry nodded. “I don’t know him personally,” Zayn continued, “but here’s what I do know. When the raid happened I was at my dad’s house, which was more like a mansion really, and of course there were lots of gang members there. A huge gunfight broke out and one of the agents was killed. One of Louis‘ friends. Young guy, tall, kind of like you.” Before Harry could fully process this, Zayn continued.

    “You said that Louis is always one to bend the rules, right? But then he flips out when someone else does the same. It seems to me he’s an incredibly protective person. He feels responsible for you, and the other agents. He might come on rough but he’s scared, he cares about you guys and wants to keep you from getting hurt. The truth is, both of you could have died today and he’s kind of freaking out about it.”

 “I think you‘re right,” Harry agreed, remembering all the times Louis had been suddenly upset or stand-offish, which now made sense from Zayn’s point of view.

“It must be terrible to worry about everyone like that,” he mused.

Zayn shrugged, “If you love ‘em you don’t mind.”

 Harry looked at the other boy and smiled thoughtfully. “You’re a good person, Zayn,” he said sincerely. Zayn stiffened and looked away, but Harry continued.

“I mean it! I think we all would have been friends if the circumstances were different, you know? Even the other agents, they’re great guys, really. I think you all would get along.”

Zayn scoffed and shook his head, “I doubt anything could make that happen,” he said stiffly,   
“do they even know you’ve been coming here?”

Harry shook his head.

“You could get in trouble, you should go,” Zayn mumbled, standing and grabbing the discarded cups off the table. 

“Hey wait!” Harry began, but Zayn wasn’t listening, still talking with his back to Harry.

“You say I’m a good person but I’m not,” he rambled in a strained voice, “You pity me for being locked up here but its better than where I was before…”

“What are you talking about, Zayn? What’s wrong?” Harry reached for Zayn’s shoulder, turning him so they were face to face.

 “I cant tell you ok!” Zayn whispered. His eyes were pained and he looked conflicted. Harry pulled him into a hug.

“No no, it’s ok. I’m sorry,”

Zayn shook his head against Harry’s shoulder. “No, I’m sorry,” he sighed. “It’s just…nothing’s that simple, Harry. I’m a prisoner for a reason. I know more than you think, but I just _can’t_ tell you! I’m so sorry.”

   Harry furrowed his brow, “It’s alright, Zayn, don’t worry.” He squeezed the slim boy reassuringly.  Zayn didn’t respond but pulled back and grasped the taller boy’s shoulder.

 “Go talk to Louis,” he said simply.

 Harry nodded, “I will. Thanks for your tea and wisdom.”

Zayn chuckled, “Thanks for coming,” he said, so faintly Harry almost missed it. Harry smiled back and quietly left.

 

**Author's Note:**

> I feel bad you guys will never know the real ending, (plus plot twists!) but feel free to come up with whatever headcanon's u desire...Thanks for reading!


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